Death of Little Rock man believed to be homicideLITTLE ROCK (AP) — Police in Little Rock say the death of a man who was found rolling on the ground and bleeding is believed to be a homicide. Police say officers responding to a trouble call Friday night found 37-year-old Clifton Page of Little Rock on the ground and bleeding from the nose. Police say paramedics arrived and were treating Page in an ambulance when Page lost consciousness. He later died at a nearby hospital. A suspected cause o...

Suspect in slaying in Holland surrenders to deputiesHOLLAND (AP) — A man wanted in the beating death of a man in the Faulkner County town of Holland has surrendered. Sheriff Andy Shock told reporters that the suspect surrendered about 7:45 a.m. Saturday after calling the sheriff's office and saying he was tired of running. Chief Deputy Matt Rice said the suspect met deputies at a home in neighboring Pulaski County and was taken to the Faulkner County jail. The man is wanted in the Tuesday death...

Atkins man holds girlfriend against willAn Atkins man was arrested Thursday after abusing and holding his girlfriend against her will in his father’s home, while police attempted to enter safely through a barricaded door. Brae Bednar, 22, is being held at the Pope County Detention Center and faces felony third-degree battery and kidnapping charges. His bond was set at $75,000 by District Court Judge Don Bourne during a Friday bond hearing. At about 4:50 a.m. on Thursday, Atkins poli...

Prison worker arrested, accused of aiding 2 NY escapeesDANNEMORA, N.Y. (AP) — A worker at an upstate New York maximum-security prison has been arrested on charges she helped two convicted killers escape, state police said Friday. Fifty-one-year-old Joyce Mitchell was arrested and will be arraigned on the felony charge of first-degree promoting prison contraband and misdemeanor count of fourth-degree criminal facilitation, authorities said. Mitchell is accused of befriending inmates David Sweat and...

Man flees, arrested with 2 for meth chargesDANVILLE — Yell County Sheriff Bill Gilkey announced the arrest Wednesday night of a Russellville man and two Havana residents who face charges relating to methamphetamine. A press release from the Yell County Sheriff’s Office (YCSO) indicated Bradley Murl Buckman, 31, of Russellville was arrested early Thursday morning on State Highway 154 east of Centerville. Also arrested were Russell Ray Gorman, 37, and Kalyn B. Stark, 33, both of Havana. ...

Appleton investigationAPPLETON — The Pope County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) and Arkansas State Police (ASP) are investigating the death of a person who was found Wednesday night in a field. A press release stated PCSO and ASP officers responded to an Appleton address just after 6:30 p.m. Wednesday after they received a report of a body located in a vacant field. Deputies located an unidentified individual who was determined to be deceased. Both the PCSO and ASP are wo...

Department of Justice investigating women's prisonLITTLE ROCK (AP) — The U.S. Department of Justice is investigating allegations of sexual abuse and harassment at the Arkansas Department of Correction's McPherson Unit. The prison in Newport houses female prisoners. The Department of Justice said in a news release Thursday that it has received allegations that prison staff had sex with prisoners, exchanged commissary money for sexual favors and made inappropriate comments to prisoners while th...

Tiny town of Concord faces lawsuit over traffic stopsLITTLE ROCK (AP) — The tiny town of Concord is facing a federal civil-rights lawsuit from drivers who say they were pulled over as part of a money making ploy by police. The suit filed Tuesday claims that "over a period of several years, literally hundreds of persons were stopped ostensibly for having an 'improper display of tags' or 'no license plate lamp' or some other pretextual reason solely for the underlying purpose of issuing citations ...

Man arrested on suspicion of killing co-worker in fightCONWAY (AP) — A Conway man has been arrested on suspicion of killing a co-worker. Arkansas media outlets report the 29-year-old suspect was arrested Wednesday in relation to the death of Cole Harvey, 29. He faces a second-degree murder charge. According to a police news release, officers responded to a call Tuesday that Harvey had collapsed after a fight in front of a home. Police say they found Harvey lying in the street in a pool of blood. A...

Bond hearingsThe following individual appeared during felony bond hearings Wednesday at the Pope County Detention Center. His name, age, anticipated charge and bond amount are listed. If charged, he will appear July 20 in Pope County Circuit Court. •Christopher Way, 38, two counts of delivery of methamphetamine or cocaine — $25,000. A warrant was filed by the Pope County Circuit Court (PCCC) on May 6 for Way’s arrest concerning the sale of methamphetamine ...

Event brings families of missing persons togetherLITTLE ROCK (AP) — Twenty years after 6-year-old Morgan Nick disappeared from an Arkansas recreation field, her mother said Wednesday that she still struggles with not knowing where she is. Colleen Nick spoke to law enforcement officers and family members of missing persons as part of the fourth annual Never Forgotten event organized by the Arkansas attorney general's office. The event brings the families together to speak with law enforcement...

Identity fraud leads to woman being 'married' to anotherJONESBORO (AP) — Jonesboro police say identity fraud led to a woman being "married" to another woman in Pine Bluff. Officer Nathaniel Cole says the Jonesboro woman had tried to file her taxes in April, but that her return was denied because someone else had used her Social Security number to file a return. The Jonesboro Sun reported the woman then went through the IRS to refile a paper copy, received her refund and assumed everything was fine....

Former judge sentenced in mail fraud casePOCAHONTAS (AP) — A former Arkansas district judge convicted of drug charges has been sentenced in an unrelated mail fraud case involving American Indian artifacts. Bob Castleman, who was a judge in Pocahontas over a decade ago, has been sentenced to 21 months in prison and must pay nearly $16,800 in restitution. Castleman had claimed to an insurance company in 2012 that Native American arrowheads were stolen from his residence, but they were ...

Name of trooper involved in man's wounding releasedLITTLE ROCK (AP) — Arkansas State Police have released the name of the trooper involved in a shooting along Interstate 49 near Mountainburg. The agency said Josh Elmore, 27, has been a trooper for about a year. Elmore is on administrative leave with pay while authorities investigate Monday's shooting. Authorities say Elmore came upon a man walking along I-49 southbound. Elmore approached on foot and said the man became combative. According to ...

Little Rock man in critical condition after stabbingLITTLE ROCK (AP) — A Little Rock man is in critical condition after police say he was stabbed by his girlfriend. Little Rock media outlets report Ricky Mays, 56, was stabbed in the chest Monday. According to a Little Rock Police Department detective summary, officers responded to a call about a stabbing at The Cottages Apartments Monday night. Police said that witnesses told them Mays and his girlfriend had been arguing when she took his cellp...

Local man drags wife from moving vehicleA local man was arrested by the Pope County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) Thursday after his wife was found in a road-side ditch with a large gash causing blood to come from her head and cuts and scratches on her arms, according to an investigator’s testimony. Sean Simmermaker, 44, allegedly got into an argument with his wife, Barbara, at a friend’s residence and stole her purse from her vehicle. Simmermaker then returned to his vehicle, but his wif...

Bond hearingsThe following individuals appeared during felony bond hearings Monday at the Pope County Detention Center. Their names, ages, anticipated charges and bond amounts are listed. If charged, they will appear July 20 in Pope County Circuit Court. Byron Lee, 25, failure to appear — $200,000. Lee failed to appear at a March 9 Pope County Circuit Court date to face charges of burglary, breaking and entering, theft of a credit card and fraudulent use o...

Bond hearingsThe following individuals appeared during felony bond hearings Friday at the Pope County Detention Center. Their names, ages, anticipated charges and bond amounts are listed. If charged, they will appear July 20 in Pope County Circuit Court. Nathan Bernt, 29, fraudulent use of a credit card — $7,500. On May 12, Bernt’s mother contacted the Russellville Police Department (RPD) about an $83 charge on her credit card that she didn’t make. After a...

Drug director resigns county Quorum Court seatFORT SMITH (AP) — Arkansas' new drug director has resigned from the Sebastian County Quorum Court. Denny Altes of Fort Smith says in a letter to County Judge David Hudson that his job as drug director will require more time than he anticipated. The letter is dated May 26 and says his resignation is effective June 1. Hudson said he received the letter on Wednesday. Altes is a former state representative and state senator who was elected to the ...

Arkansas Supreme Court rejects appeal of convicted killerFAYETTEVILLE (AP) — The Arkansas Supreme Court has rejected the appeal of a death row inmate convicted of killing two people in Fayetteville. The the court said Thursday that it will not consider further appeals from Gregory Decay, 29. The court in 2009 upheld Decay's convictions and later rejected an appeal that his attorneys were ineffective. The latest appeal argued that jury selection was flawed and asked the court to again review the case...